Two Greasers, One True Love
by janiesgotagun
Summary: Daina Hectors has two love interests in Tulsa. One of them is a tough hood, the other, a kindhearted greaser. One of them is in it for commitment, the other just wants to get physical. Which will Daina choose?
1. Chapter 1

NUMBAHH ONE.

Daina Hectors awoke to the sound of, well, nothing. This was what she heard almost everyday when she woke up. Her house was always quiet, because she was an only child, her father worked everyday from 6 am till 10 pm that night, and her mother had left when Daina was 13. Neither Daina nor her father knew why she left. They had awoken one morning and found a note on the kitchen table. It had said, "Allan and Daina. I'm leaving, don't come after me. I hope you will always have a good life, enjoy it to the fullest." No one has heard from her since.

Daina got out of bed, showered, and got dressed. She walked next door to one of her best friends house, Two-Bit Mathews, to see if he wanted to hang out for a bit.

Daina walked right in the Mathew's house. She always did this. The Mathews were like family to her. Ms Mathews was in the kitchen, trying to hurriedly feed her youngest child, 4 year old Ashley Mathews.

"Hey Ms M, where's Two-Bit at?" Daina asked.

"I honestly have no clue. I need him to babysit Ashley though. One of my co-workers called in sick and I have to go to work soon. If you find him anywheres, please tell him to get his butt home." she said exasperately.

"Well, I'll watch Ashley for awhile if you want. We can go on a search-and-rescue mission for him, right Ashley?"

"Yeah!" she screamed excitedly.

"Are you sure?" Ms Mathews asked.

"Yeah, of course. Ashley's a good kid with me. You don't mind if I take her over to the Curtis' for a bit though? I'll take her to the park afterwards, maybe Ponyboy or Soda would come."

"Yes, thats fine. Oh, thank you Daina, you're a life saver!" Ms Mathews hugged Daina, and ran to her room to get ready for work.

After Ashley gave Ms Mathews a kiss goodbye, Daina got Ashley's coat, put it on her, took her hand, and they walked two blocks over to the Curtis' house.

Daina walked in and hollered, "Anybody home?"

"Yeah, in the kitchen." somebody said.

Daina let Ashley lead the way into the kitchen, where Ponyboy Curtis was sitting at the table, doing homework.

"Hey Daina, Ashley." Ponyboy said.

"Hello Ponyboy. You wouldn't happen to know where Two-Bit is at, would you?" Daina asked.

"Nope. Soda, Steve, and Darry are all working. He might have hitched a ride over to the hospital to check up on Dallas."

"Oh, well his mother was looking for him, she wanted him to babysit Ashley, but I said I would until we can find Two-Bit. What are you doing there?" Daina pointed at Ponyboy's homework.

"History, I just don't understand it." Pony said, frustrated.

"I'll help you, just let me get pipsqueak here occupied with something."

Daina took Ashley into the living room, turned the tv onto a childrens cartoon, and sat her on the couch so she could watch it. Daina went back in the kitchen and sat down.

After helping Ponyboy finish with his homework, Daina asked him, "Pony?"

"Yeah?"

"This may be a sensitive topic, but I've been wondering this since last month when everything happened. How did Dallas survive the shooting?"

Dallas Winston was a tough guy. A month ago, after Johnny Cade had died, Dally had lost it, robbed a grocery store, and was shot down by police. The gang had been there to witness the tragic event, but Ponyboy had fainted, so they had rushed him home. They hadn't been there to see the ambulance come and get Dally. The next day, Darry had gotten a phone call telling him that Dallas had survived, but he was in surgery. He had had life threatening injuries. Darry had sent Steve and Two-Bit over to the hospital to wait for Dally to get out of surgery, while Darry and Sodapop stayed home to watch Ponyboy.

A week later, Dally had come out of a coma, induced by the surgery. He had woke up a changed man. He was still somewhat violent, had an even worse hatred for the Socs, but he had a better appreciation for life. Ponyboy had showed Dally the note that Johnny had written while he was in the hospital, and it had brought tears to Dally's eyes. He had finally realized that Johnny was in a better place now, and he had slowly learned to get on with his life. Nobody knows what gave him the strength to live through the shooting. Daina had asked him once, but he had simply ignored her.

After thinking for awhile, Ponyboy said, "I don't know, Daina. I've never asked him, for fear of getting my head kicked in."

"Dainnnyyyy." Ashley whined from the living room.

"What?" Daina asked.

"I wanna see Sody. Where's Sody?"

"Soda's at work right now hun. He'll be home soon. Do you wanna go to the park for a bit?" Daina asked.

"Yeah!" Ashley clapped.

"You coming, Ponyboy?"

"Might as well.

Daina, Ashley, and Ponyboy walked to the park, and played there. Just as they were about to leave, they saw Two-Bit walking towards the Curtis' house.

"Two-Bit Mathews!" Daina screamed. "Get over here."

Two-Bit ran over. "Hey y'all, whats happening?"

"Nothing is happening, but your mother is peeved at you. You were supposed to babysit Ashley today and instead, you ran off!"

"Aw c'mon Dain, don't get your panties all in a bunch. I just went to see Dal. He's doing way better, the doctors said he's being released tomorrow. He asked me to ask you to go to the hospital tomorrow so he has someone to leave with him." Two-Bit explained.

"Yeah, I'll be there, I'll have to borrow your car though. Anyways, your mom is expecting you to be home, watching Ashley, by the time she gets home."

"Shoot kid, she won't be home till at least 8. I've got plenty of time. Let's all head back over to Ponyboy's house and get some grub."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the greasers, just Daina.**

**PS- Sorry it takes so long for me to update, I'll try and get more out quicker. I had to transfer all my stories from my laptop to my computer because my parents are moving to the other side of the country and they're taking the laptop, so yeah, during July I might not get many stories out, I apoligise ahead of time.**

Daina, Ashley, Ponyboy, and Two-Bit walked back to the Curtis' house. There was still an hour before Darry and Sodapop got home, so Daina and Ponyboy decided to cook supper for them. They made a big pot of spaghetti, and cut slices of fresh bread. Just as Ponyboy was dishing the spaghetti onto plates, the front door opened, then slammed shut.

"Sody!" Ashley said excitedly. Daina peaked her head around the corner, into the living room, and saw Sodapop pick up Ashley and spin her around.

"Hey kiddo, what you doing here?" he asked.

"Dainy took me over here because Mommy had to work and she got mad at Keith because he wasn't home."

"Rightt," Soda said. "Where's Daina at?"

"In the kitchen, she and Pony cookded supper."

"Did they now?" Soda sat Ashley down on the couch and walked into the kitchen.

"Ooh, spaghetti. Smells good. What did you go and cook supper for, Daina?" Soda asked.

"It wasn't just me, Ponyboy helped too. But we decided since you guys have to work all day, you deserve someone to cook for you at least once."

"Aw thanks Dain. You dig okay." Soda gave Daina a big hug, and rubbed Ponyboy's head as a way of saying thanks.

Daina walked into the living room, and seen Darry sitting beside Ashley on the couch, his eyes closed, head leaned back.

Daina walked up to him and put her head right in front of his. He slowly opened his eyes and jumped.

"Christ, Daina, give me a heart attack why don't cha." Darry said.

"Haha, sorry Darry. Supper's on the table, go eat."

Daina went back into the kitchen, where everyone was sitting down to eat.

"Hey y'all, I'm gonna head home now, I'll see you later." Daina said. A chorus of goodbye's rang through the room.

Daina's father still wasn't home from work, so Daina skipped supper and went straight to bed. She would have to get up early the next morning to go see Dally at the hospital.

Around 11 pm, Daina woke up and went into the kitchen to get a drink. She turned the light on and noticed her father sitting at the table, a bottle of beer in his hand.

"Hey, Daina. I'm hungry." said her father.

"Well get something to eat. I'm going back to sleep."

"NO," her father slurred. "You have to make me some food."

"Dad, I'm tired, you're perfectly capable of making a sandwich or something."

Daina's father stood up and stumbled towards her. He roughly grabbed her arm.

"Look, you ungrateful little bitch, when I say I want you to make me food, you make me food!"

Daina tried to pull away, but her father roughly pushed her against the wall. She ran past him and out the door.

Across her front lawn and into Two-Bit's front lawn she went. She pulled open his door and went into the living room, where Two-Bit was sitting on the couch watching tv.

"Hey Daina, why you over here so late?" he asked.

"I need to borrow your car." Daina said tearfully.

"Yeah, sure, you can take it. Whats wrong?"

"My dad, he pushed me." Daina showed Two-Bit the bruise that was slowly forming on her arm. "I'm going to go spend the night at the hospital with Dally, there's no way I'm going back home. Where's your keys?"

Two-Bit dug the car keys out of his pocket and threw them to her. "Here you go. Just don't wreck it. I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah." Daina left.

She walked to Two-Bit's car and got in. The engine started, but very noisily.

It didn't seem like a very long drive to the hospital. Daina felt as if she was driving for only a few minutes. Although it was nearing midnight, it was fairly easy for Daina to sneak into the hospital and up to Dally's floor. She counted the doors to his room on the left side of the hallway. When she got to five, she opened the door quietly and entered.

"If you're another goddamn nurse you can turn the hell back around and leave the way you came in." growled a voice.

"Now now, is that any way to treat the nurses?" Daina asked teasingly.

"Daina?" Dally asked.

"Yepp, it's me."

"I thought you weren't gonna come until tomorrow."

"Well if you don't want me here I can leave, but I decided to come spend the night with you, I had a little, er..family trauma." she said awkwardly.

"Interestin'."

Daina sat in the chair beside Dally's bed, and looked him over. His physical condition had greatly improved since she had last seen him. After the shooting, he had had bruises everywheres, cuts and stitches from the surgery where the bullets entered his body, and he looked so emotionally drained that it made him look as if he were dead. But over the last month or so, the wounds had healed, but he would always have scars. Dallas had slowly come to face the fact that Johnny was dead and there was no bringing him back.

"You gonna sleep on that hard chair all night?" Dally asked slyly.

"Well.." Daina eyed the bed.

"Oh for Christs sake, climb in." Dally held up the blankets on the bed and let Daina crawl underneath. Dallas put his arm around her, and they quickly fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

THREE

The next morning, Daina and Dallas woke up early, because Dally wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible.

On the way home, Dally was talking about how he was "so damn happy" to be out of the hospital, and how he was excited to be able to hang with all his buddies again. Daina knew that he'd be in a fight with someone within the next week, but she never said anything because she didn't want to burst his happy bubble.

Daina drove to Two-Bit's house, so that she could drop off his car.

"You wanna go see if he's in there?" Daina asked Dally.

"Nahh, let's just head over to Darry's. They're all probably over there waiting for us."

Daina and Dally walked over to the Curtis' house and entered through the front door, as usual. Almost everyone was sitting in the living room, except Darry, who was working.

"Dally buddy! Good to have you back." Two-Bit said. He got up and put his hand on Dally's shoulder. "Everyone, bow down to the Indestructable Man!"

"Screw off, Two-Bit" Dally said jokingly.

Gradually, everyone got up to welcome back Dallas. Since he was the center of attention at the moment, Sodapop grabbed Daina's arm and dragged her into the kitchen.

"What happened last night?" he asked. "At your house, I mean. Two-Bit told me you looked real upset when you borrowed his car."

"My dad was drunk," Daina said sadly. "He called me a really rude name and pushed me against the wall. I have a bruise on my arm from where he grabbed me."

"Aw c'mere. You don't deserve that." Soda hugged Daina, and held her for awhile.

"Hey lovebirds, one of you wanna get some cake? We needs us some celebration food!" shouted Steve from the doorway.

Daina pulled away from Soda and blushed. She avoided his gaze as she went to the refrigerator and got a newly made chocolate cake. After cutting up pieces and putting them on plates, she shouted, "Come and get it!"

Everyone rushed into the kitchen for cake. Daina went into the living room, and sat on the arm of the chair that Dally was seated on.

"I forgot to tell you," Dally said. "Tim Shepard's having a party tonight, you in?"

"Yeah, sure. Is everyone else going?"

"Well, me, Steve, Sodapop, and Two-Bit will be there. It should be a good time, Shepard's parties usually involve someone getting in a fight, so it's always entertaining."

Sure enough, when Daina was walking up the steps to Shepard's house later that night, two guys were rolling around on the ground, punching each other. Dally had wanted to stop and watch, so Daina went in the house with Two-Bit hanging onto her shoulder. He had already had a few beers before he arrived, so he was feeling kinda tipsy.

Inside, music was blaring, people were dancing, and Daina found herself being pulled by Two-Bit into the kitchen. He grabbed three beers from the fridge, handed one to Daina, and kept the other two for himself.

"Here ya go darhlin'." Two-Bit said drunkenly. Daina rolled her eyes and walked into the living room, but Two-Bit ran in behind her, grabbed her hand and twirled her around.

"Wanna dance?" he said.

"Sure sweet thang." Daina teased.

Two-Bit and Daina danced and laughed happily for about twenty minutes. Between the two of them, they had knocked over quite a few people around them, and were quickly making people angry. Someone walked over to Two-Bit and shoved him roughly.

"Hey man, what's got your panties in a bunch?" Two-Bit asked. He tried to step towards the guy, but tripped and almost fell.

Daina grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the door.

"We're leaving now, Two-Bit, we can go get drunk somewheres else."

Outside, Dally was talking to a group of people. Daina walked over and said, "Me and Two-Bit are heading out, he was getting into a bit of trouble in there."

"I'll come with you, this party isn't as great as I thought it would be."

Although it was about 3 am, Daina didn't care. She wasn't tired, and she was getting a natural high just from the night air. She felt reckless, wild, free.

"Guys, let's go swimming!" Daina said.

"Now where do you expect to go swimming at?" Dally asked.

"There's this lake, it's called Hunters Lake. People usually fish there but it's good for swimming too. It's about a 25 minute drive from here, and an hours walk."

"I ain't walkin for an hour" Two-Bit said.

"Hmm..well let's think," Daina said sarcastically. "Who is the only one in this group that has a car?"

"Oh, I do!" Two-Bit said.

"Exactly. You're drunk, and slow. I'll run back to your house and grab your car, you guys wait here."

10 minutes later, Daina pulled up to Dally and Two-Bit, who was arguing with Daina about driving, but eventually, Dally threatened him to shut up or he'd "knock his lights out", so Two-Bit gave in and let Daina drive.

The lake was a very nice, pristine place. The water was clear, and the moon shone down on the water, making it eerily beautiful. To the right, there were cliffs along the bank of the lake, and they extended further out.

"This is pretty sweet." Dally said.

"Yeup. So, who goes in first?" Daina asked.

"I say we all strip off and jump off the cliff." Two-Bit said.

"I am not skinny dipping with you two!" Daina argued.

"Chicken." Two-Bit teased.

"Okay, look. Just down to my underwear, no further."

Daina and the two boys quickly took off their clothes, threw them in a pile near the car, and started scrambling over the rocks to begin the ascent up the cliff. It was a very nerve wracking experience for Daina. She hated climbing, and had a fear of climbing up high and getting stuck. Once at the top, though, her fear slowly ebbed away. Although it was very late at night, it was quite hot out, and the three of them were just itching to get into the water. Apparently the urge proved too much for Two-Bit, for he ran right past Dally and Daina and jumped off the edge of the cliff. Daina and Dally ran to the side of the cliff and watched Two-Bit plummet towards the water. His screams could most likely be heard for miles away. After what seemed like forever, Two-Bit hit the water and went under. He emerged a few seconds later, and hollered, "Holy shit guys! This is cold. Hurry up and get your arses in here."

The excitement of the moment was making Daina feel the adrenaline rushing to her brain. Not good, she thought. Whenever Daina became reckless, she always ended up in a bad situation. Well screw it, she thought, I'm here to have fun, I'll just blame anything that may happen on the liquor.

Daina turned toward Dally, and gave him the sexiest look she could muster. Dally raised his eyebrow. There she goes again, Dally thought. Flirting. Oh, how I love it.

Daina walked up to Dally and put her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes.

"You ready for this?" she asked.

Assuming Daina was talking about jumping the cliff, Dally said "Hell yeah baby, you know I'm always ready."

"If you say so."

Daina leaned towards him and pressed her lips firmly against his. She stayed like that for a few seconds, while running her fingers through her hair. When she pulled away, he looked stunned.

"You weren't ready." Daina said. She smirked at him, then turned around and jumped into the water.


	4. Chapter 4

Number 4.

Swimming with Dally and Two-Bit had to be one of the most peculiar events of Daina's life. Twice they had tried to drown her, Two-Bit had thrown her off the cliff, they had made a castle out of rocks on the shore, and she had lost her virginity.

She hadn't meant for it to happen, it just did. After swimming, Daina had dropped Two-Bit off at another party. Dally had said he didn't want to go home just yet, so they drove for awhile until they came to an empty field near the train tracks. They had talked for awhile, Dally kissed her, and they ended up having sex on the backseat of Two-Bit's 1963 Ford Falcon.

The next morning she found herself laying on the backseat of the car, alone. She had known that Dally wouldn't be there when she woke up, although she had hoped for him to be there, to reassure her that nothing had happened, that they had just fallen asleep and not done what they did. She regretted having sex with Dallas, because she had wanted to save that special moment for someone she truely loved. Yes, she loved Dally, but just as friends.

Daina had an empty feeling in her heart. She felt as if a vital piece of her were missing. When she was a very young child, Daina had sat and listened in awe to her grandfather talk about when he was in World War I. He had left home at the age of seventeen and joined the United States Navy. He was shipped away to Queenstown, Ireland. During one of the few fights he fought, his left leg was badly injured. It had to be amputated. Bill hadn't particularly minded that he lost his leg, because plenty of good had come out of the situation. While recovering in a hospital in Ireland, Bill had met a sweet, shy Irish nurse named Kathleen. They fell in love, got married, and had children. After Kathleen died, Bill couldn't bear to be in Ireland without her, so he took the kids and moved back to the United States, where he lived another year of his life, then died peacefully in his sleep.

Bill had described losing his leg as "a huge blow to me. It was as if God were saying 'Bill, you've done wrong and this is how you shall pay.' I felt as if I didn't deserve this to happen to me, but little did I know that my life would change...in a good way. At the time, I cursed everything and everyone around me because they were whole and happy, and I was missing a piece of me, but then I grew older, and those whole and happy people turned out to become worse than I, even though I was missing a limb."

Daina felt connected to her grandfather now. In a way, they both lost something that is, or was, important to them. Although losing a limb was much more serious than losing her virginity, Daina felt sorry for herself in a way that only one can feel when it seems as if everything is falling apart. No more could she scoff at the girls who so carelessly threw away their virginity, because that would make her a huge hypocrite.

She needed someone to talk to, but she didn't know who. She couldn't tell any of the guys. They would just get mad at Dally, then cause a huge fight. She didn't have any close girlfriends. Her mother was deceased. The closest thing she had to a mother was Two-Bit's mother, but she was quite busy and probably didn't have time to listen to Daina. She'd just have to keep her feelings to herself.

That afternoon, Daina went to the Curtis' house, because she couldn't stand being alone with her thoughts anymore. Dally was there. She passed by him on her way into the kitchen. He got up and followed her.

"Hey, Daina." he said.

"Hi" she said awkwardly.

"Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about everything that happened last night. You were drunk and I took advantage of that."

"Yeah, but you were drunk too, you couldn't really control yourself. It's not your fault, I don't blame you."

"You're such a good person, Daina. If you need to talk to me about this, you can."

"No, that's alright, there's nothing to talk about."

"Yeah, sure.." Dally said absent-mindedly. "Look, I'm gonna be leaving town for a bit. I can't stay here after what happened last night. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, I'm not sure when I'll come back."

Daina felt confused. Was it something she did? Did Dally hate her? 

He seemed to read her thoughts. "It's nothing you did. I just feel ashamed of myself, I need time on my own. I'll see you again sometime. Goodbye."

Dallas turned and walked through the living room and out the door. Sodapop walked into the kitchen and looked at Daina.

"What's up with Dally?" he asked. Daina just looked at him, layed her head on the table and cried.


	5. Chapter 5

Two months had passed, and Dally still hadn't returned. She hadn't heard from him at all. The boys were beginning to wonder what had happened that made him leave.

Daina often stayed at the Curtis' house now. She found it almost unbearable to be in her house. One day, she had woke up with a sick feeling in her stomach. She got up off the couch and ran to the bathroom, where she vomited into the toilet. Darry, who was just about to leave for work, heard the noise and ran into the bathroom. 

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I don't know," Daina said weakly. "I might have the flu."

"Go lay back down on the couch, stay there all day if you want. I'll check up on you when I get home."

Daina obediently lay down and fell back asleep. She woke up later and felt fine.

Every morning for the past week, Daina had thrown up into the toilet. On this last occasion, Sodapop had been there with her, holding her hair back. After she had flushed the toilet and brushed the awful taste out of her mouth, Sodapop asked "Do you think maybe you should go see a doctor?"

"You think?" she considered this. "Maybe I should go. I'll go to the hospital today, Two-Bit can drive me over."

A few hours later, Daina was waiting patiently in the doctor's office. He wasn't very busy today, so Daina didn't have to make an appointment. The doctor called her into his office, and she went in.

When she came out, her face was pale and her eyes were full of tears. In her hand she held an information book. Daina walked outside and managed to get to the end of the street, before she sat down and cried, clutching her stomach. She heard a truck approaching her. It slowed down and stopped, but she didn't look up. She heard a door open and slam shut.

"Daina, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" she heard a familiar voice say.

Daina looked up and saw Darry standing above her. She didn't answer him. He grabbed her arms and gently pulled her up.

"Come on, you're coming home with me."

On the way to Darry's house, she told him everything. She told him about the night two months ago when she and Dally had sex, and she told him that's why he had left. She also told him what she had just found out from the doctor. Daina was pregnant.

"I don't want to be a mother," she cried. "I'm too young, I don't want a baby."

"It's alright, Daina. It might seem bad now, but you'll come to terms with it eventually."

"I might, but I don't think Dally ever will. I don't know if I could ever even tell him about this, he'd hate me forever."

Darry took his eyes off the road and looked at her. "Um," he said. "Speaking of Dallas.."

"What?"

"He's home now. He arrived at our house about an hour after you left."

"Oh, no..Darry, what am I going to do?" Daina asked.

"You have to tell him, he has the right to know."

When Daina and Darry got to the house, Dally was sitting on one of the chairs, talking to Sodapop and Steve. Dally seen Daina and jumped up and walked over to her. He grabbed her and hugged her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her. "I shouldn't have left you here, it was stupid of me to leave."

"Well, you might not think that after you hear what I have to tell you. Come in here."

Daina walked into the kitchen and sat down. Dallas followed her. She was silent for a long time. How do you tell someone that they're going to become a father?

"That night," she began. "I made one of the biggest mistakes in my life, and it's resulted in something that I'm not ready for. I know you're probably not ready for this either. I honestly don't know what to do."

"Well, what's wrong?" he asked.

She hesitated. "I'm pregnant."

He looked at her, and his eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

He thinks I'm joking, she thought. Tears started forming in her eyes. "Yes I'm serious! Why would I joke about something like that? You think I want this baby?"

Daina got up, wiping her eyes. She turned around and started to run towards the door, but felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her.

"Daina, no." Darry said. "You can't run from your problems."

"I don't care!" she screamed, crying hysterically. "Let me go! I need to get out of here! I don't want this baby, he doesn't want it either."

Darry stroked her hair softly. "Shh, just calm down. Here, come on, you need some sleep."

Darry picked her up and carried her to Ponyboy and Sodapop's room.

"Put me down, I don't need to go to sleep!" she said.

"I don't care. Stay in here, I'll go talk to Dally, you didn't really give him a chance to talk about things."

"I can't stay in here, Dare. I need to go, I need air."

Darry looked exhausted. He knew he couldn't let her go by herself right now, God knows what she'd do. But it was hurting him to see Daina begging to be let out.

"Fine, look. I'll let you go, but Soda's going with you." he said. She looked at him sadly. "It's either that or you stay in here."

"Alright, I'll go with Soda."

Daina walked past Darry, out into the hallway, and into the living room. Sneaking a quick glance into the kitchen, she seen that Dally was still sitting at the table. He had his head in his hands and his eyes were closed.

"C'mon, Daina, lets go to the park." said Soda. He got up off the couch, walked over to her and took her arm, and led her outside.

Once at the park, she sat on one of the swings and looked at him pitifully.

"What happened?" Sodapop asked.

"It's a long story." she said, but she explained it all anyways.

"Well, you've gotten yourself into quite the situation. Never mind Dallas right now. What are you going to do with the baby?"

She had never thought of this. She knew that she wasn't ready to raise a child. "I really don't know. I couldn't ever get an abortion, I'd never be able to live with myself."

"What about adoption?"

"Maybe," she said. "It depends what Dally wants. This is partly his child too, I want him to have a say in what happens with this baby."

"Yeah, you're right. What did he say when you told him?"

"He thought I was joking."

"Oh." Soda said. He chewed on his lip for a few minutes. "Well, if it makes you feel better, you're not the only one having a bit of troubles right now."

Daina looked up. "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

"Sandy and I have been having a lot of problems lately. A while back, she moved away and said she didn't love me anymore. She came back two weeks ago, and wants to get back with me. But I don't know, she just moved again, and her parents told me she's living with her grandparents permanently."

"Aw, Soda." Daina felt bad for him. Soda didn't deserve that. He was kind to everybody, he was very good to Sandy. It hurt Daina to see Soda upset.

"I knew for awhile that things weren't working out, but I tried to hold onto what little was left of our relationship. Now it's like that small little string that held everything together has broken."

"It's funny.." Daina said. 

"What's funny?"

"Just that how anytime something happens to us, something else happens to the other person. It's like God wants you and I to be miserable together."

Sodapop laughed. "Only you would notice something like that."

Daina pretended to be angry, but then smiled. "Thanks, Soda. Talking to you has helped me calm down quite a bit. Do you think we should go back to the house?"

"If you're ready."

Back at the house, Daina made Soda go in first, to see what was happening. When he came back out, he looked slightly relieved.

"Dally's not in there. Darry said he left and went looking for you."

"Oh. Well, let's just go inside, if he wants to find me badly enough he'll come back here."

Daina and Soda went inside and turned on the tv, but Daina couldn't concentrate. She was too preoccupied wondering about Dally. Was he upset? Mad? Was he looking for her just to tell her that he was leaving again? These and many more questions ran through her mind. She was thinking so hard that she didn't hear the door burst open. She didn't see Dally walk in. She didn't even know he was there until he said her name.

"Daina..."


	6. Chapter 6

**(BOO! Sorry this took reallyreally long. I totally forgot about my story, what with the stress of moving and leaving my parents, so here you go. Many apologies.)**

"Daina..."

Daina looked up and seen Dally standing in the doorway. The expression on his face was unreadable. Was he mad? thought Daina. He's probably just come to tell me he's leaving town again and never coming back. Or was he sorry? One part of Daina's mind was telling her it was Dally's fault, because he had gotten her pregnant. But the other, more reasonable, part of Daina's mind knew that this was partially her fault. It wasn't like she had told Dally to stop.

"Daina." said Dally, more urgently now.

Daina looked at him, then at Sodapop, sitting beside her. Soda grabbed her hand and squeezed it, giving her an encouraging smile.

"Go on, Daina. I'll be right here." he said.

Daina got up and walked past Dally, onto the front doorstep. She sat down on the steps and looked up at him expectantly.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I want to talk to you," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing. "So..you're pregnant. I'm sorry for not believing you the first time. I should have known you wouldn't joke about something like this. After you left, I was going to go after you and tell you I was leaving. I was going to leave town again. But Darry stopped me. He made me sit down and listen to him. He told me that I have a responsibilty now, to you and the baby. Darry convinced me to stay. And I've thought about this, and I've decided something. I will be here to support you through, and pay for, the abortion."

Daina's mouth fell open. Abortion? The thought hadn't even occured to her. And how could he even think of that? Never, in her life, would she get an abortion. Dally should know better.

"You must be crazy," Daina said. "Abortion is totally out of the question. I don't even know...Dally! How could you even consider that?"

"Well, I don't know..I just thought that you'd want to get rid of the baby. You said yourself that you didn't want it." Dally said.

"Yes, I did say that, but I would never kill it! You're treating the situation as if I came home with a stray puppy that nobody wanted. That's not the case. This baby is still a person. Having an abortion is like murder."

Dally sat down beside Daina and sighed. "Okay, fine. No abortion. So..what now? How do you plan on raising the baby?"

"I don't know. I'll have to get a job. That's what I'll do! Next week, I'm going to look for a job. And I _will _raise this baby, with or without your help."

Daina stood up to leave, happy now that she finally had a plan, but Dally stopped her.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked.

"Um..no." she said, confused.

"That child is mine too, you know."

"Oh, yeah," she said awkwardly. "Well, you can visit it whenever you want, I guess."

And with that, Daina turned away and walked back into the Curtis' house, leaving Dally sitting on the steps, thinking to himself. Visit? he thought. Well, if she thinks that I'm not going to participate in this, she's wrong. I know I would never make a good father but I can still try. I'll show her. And not only will I be a good father, but I'll be with Daina twenty-four/seven. We'll be a perfect family.

Two weeks later, Daina was walking home from her new job. She worked at a small convienience store. The store was dark and dreary and the pay wasn't all that great, but it was close to home and close to the DX where Soda and Steve worked. When Daina's shift ended, she waited at the gas station until Soda and Steve were finished, then the three of them would walk home together. Except for today. When Daina arrived at the DX, Soda and Steve were working on a car that needed to be fixed for the next day.

"I'm real sorry, Daina, but we can't leave right now. You can wait here until we're done, or call Two-Bit to come pick you up." Soda said to her.

"No, that's alright. It's nice out, I'll walk home."

"No you won't! It's dangerous. There's still Socs wandering the streets, just looking for one of us to jump."

Daina rolled her eyes. "Nothing's going to happen, Soda. I'll be alright."

"Fine, but hurry home. I'll be there soon."

Now, strolling quickly away from the DX, Daina wondered how Soda could be so worrysome. After Johnny's death, the Soc's had calmed down. There weren't nearly as many attacks as before, only the occasional one by a tough-headed, cocky Soc. Sure, Daina and her friends still received verbal threats and abuse, but words meant nothing to her. It angered the guys though. Dally threatened to beat the Soc's heads in every time he seen one of them, and most of the time, he almost ended up doing it, but was stopped by the guys. Soda got just as angry, but he had more sense then to run at them and attack. Two-Bit, on the other hand, was different. He got back at them through one of the few things they cherished. Their cars. At night, if Two-Bit seen a car parked somewheres and he recognized it as belonging to a Soc, he would stop what he was doing and get to work. Sometimes, he'd slash the tires. Other times, he'd kick in the windows, dig his new switchblade into the paint, or re-wire the engines. Two-Bit had never yet been caught in the act.

Daina raised her eyes up to look at the buildings around her. Oh, no, she thought. Dally. She was walking right past his workplace. Dally had been very attached to her the last few weeks. He hardly ever left her side, except to go to work, or sleep. Daina enjoyed having him around, but not all the time. She was getting annoyed very quickly with him, especially when the other guys were around. They would always play around and rough house with each other, and every time, Dally would force them to stop, then holler at them for "endangering his baby and its mother's lives." The first time this happened, Daina told him to quit being such a jerk and to sit down, but he just got madder with the guys. So now, here she was, walking right past the welding shop where he worked. She could see Dally right now, bent over a metal contraption, the flame from the welding rod burning bright. If he looked up, he would be able to see Daina in plain view.

Instead of risking being seen by Dally, Daina doubled back and went into a long alleyway that went around the welding shop and the five other businesses, then came out in a small field. All she had to do after she left the alley was walk through the field, over the train tracks, and she would be very near her house. She never made it there.

Lurking near a set of metal stairs behind a building in the alley, were a group of people. As Daina approached closer, she recognized them. They were a group of Socs. Common sense told Daina to turn around. She could risk being seen by Dally. But no, Daina's tired feet told her to just continue walking, and ignore the Socs. So she did. Daina got within two yards of them. They looked at her as if she were a piece of dirt on the ground, but continued to talk among themselves. Good, she thought, they're going to leave me alone.

No such luck. Walking steadily closer, Daina came right up to the closest person, who stuck his foot out, as if to trip her. She stopped in front of his foot, put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.

"Is that honestly the best you can think of?" she asked irritably.

The Soc seemed taken aback. He didn't speak.

"So I thought. Well, I'll just be on my way." Daina started to walk foward, but one of them spoke to her, and she stopped.

"Hey, dirt. You can't talk to us like that. You're trash."

"Am I? First I've heard."

"Yeah, well it won't be the last. You better learn to keep your grimy little mouth shut." The Soc was taller than her, Daina noticed. He had black hair and slanted brown eyes.

"Or what?"

The Soc who seemed to be the leader looked around at his friends. "Think we should teach this greaser a lesson?"

The Soc grabbed an open can of beer from one of his friends, and threw the contents of it at Daina's face. Beer dripped down her face, onto her chin, then down to her shirt. She wiped it out of her eyes, and watched the Soc. He was turned around, laughing with his friends. As he turned back towards Daina, she slapped him in the face with as much strength that she could muster. He froze momentarily. Then, seeming to regain a grip on things, he grabbed Daina's hair, which was pulled back in a ponytail.

"That's it, you're gonna get it now!"

The group of Soc's advanced upon her. There were too many. She couldn't fight them off, for she was both tired and fat from the pregnancy. Daina received a slap in the face. Someone kicked her leg. Another stepped on her foot, hard. She couldn't take this. Daina fell to the ground, unconscious.


	7. Chapter 7

**(Hey! Sorry it took uberly long for this, and sorry for it being so short. This is just a "filler" chapter, to keep you up to date about whats going on. Next one will be longer, and better, and it'll be coming soon to a computer screen near you. Thanks.)**

Number 7.

Three days later and Soda found himself, once again, seated beside Daina, who was laying in a hospital bed. Soda was the only visitor Daina had at the moment. The rest of the guys were at Dallas' court hearing. After Daina had been found unconscious in the alleyway, Dally had went after the Soc's who assaulted her. He roughed them up pretty bad. One of the Soc's reported him to the cops, and for the past three days Dally has been in police custody. Now, his hearing was taking place. Today would be the day that everyone would find out what's in store for Dallas Winston.

Soda looked up when he heard the doctor walk in.

"Is anything the matter with her, doctor? When's she gonna wake up?" Soda asked.

"Are you a member of her family?" the doctor asked.

"No, she doesn't really have any close family around here," Soda said. He left out the fact that Daina's father was around, but Daina disliked him. "I'm one of her best friends though, if anything's wrong you can tell me."

"Well," the doctor said. "So far, there hasn't been much change in her condition. As you are most likely aware, Miss Hectors is pregnant. The baby is doing alright, but if she doesn't wake up soon, it may die. So far, we've been able to keep it alive through liquid vitamins and nutrition that's being pumped into Miss Hector's body through IV's. But that can only last so long. She must wake up soon, or her baby's life is in danger."

Soda's face was turning increasingly whiter. "Okay, thanks doctor."

The doctor looked down at Daina pityingly for a moment, then left. Soda looked at Daina and grabbed her hand.

"You have to wake up, Daina, you just have to..."

Meanwhile, Dally was standing silently, awaiting the judge's verdict. Dallas showed no emotion, just stared coldly at the judge, who seemed quite uncomfortable. The judge cleared his throat.

"Mr Dallas Winston, you have been charged with three counts of assault. I have come to my decision about your punishment. You are to spend the next five months in the jail, where you will also undergo psychiatric evaluation, because, as stated earlier, this isn't your first brush with the law and it most certainly isn't your first violent act. You are to report to the Tulsa County Minimum Protection jail in two days. Court is dismissed."


	8. Chapter 8

Number eight

Two days later, Soda was once again seated beside Daina in the hospital. No one else was in the hospital room, because they were with Dally, accompanying him in his final hours of being a free man, for it was today that Dally started his five month prison sentence. Soda regretted not being there, but he wouldn't leave Daina's side. He had to be there when she woke, he just _had_to.

Outside the jail, the boys were all saying their goodbyes to Dally. He seemed very distracted, and didn't seem to pay much attention to the fact that he was going to jail. The sheriff came out of the prison and walked up to Dally.

"It's time to go now, Winston," he said.

"Alright, man, just gimme a minute," Dally said. He motioned to Two-Bit to come closer to him.

"Listen man," Dallas said. "I know you're real close with Daina and all, so I was wondering if maybe you could do me a favour while I'm in the slammer."

Two-Bit raised his eyebrow. "What?"

"Could ya maybe try and keep Daina away from…you know, other guys?"

"Why? It's not like you two are together or anything, are you?" Two-Bit asked.

"No man, it's just…She's having my baby and all, and between me and you, she isn't all that bad, if you know what I mean." Dally said.

"Huh?"

"In bed, dummy. I'd like to have her waiting for me when I get outta here."

Two-Bit looked uncomfortable. "I don't know, Dallas. I don't think Daina would like it too much if she knew you wanted to be with her just for sex."

"No, stupid, it's not just for the sex, although that helps. She is carrying my kid too."

"Well, I'll try, but I'm not making any promises." Two-Bit wondered how in the world he'd explain to Daina that she has to stay away from other guys for five months.

"Alright, thanks man. I'll see you soon buddy." Dallas said goodbye to the others, turned around, and walked into the jail with the sheriff.

Back at the hospital, Daina's mind awoke. _Why the hell am I so weak?_ she thought. She tried, with great strength, to wiggle her toes. She felt them tingling, as if they had fallen asleep after sitting on them for a long time. She tried to flex her fingers, but found that something was holding her hand…or someone. _What in the world is going on? _Daina turned her head and slowly opened her eyes. She saw Soda sitting on a chair, reading a book held by one hand, his other being occupied with Daina's.

"Soda?" she asked drowsily.

Soda dropped his book on the floor. "Oh my god, Daina! You're awake!"

"Uh, yeah." She said. Her voice was muffled because she was suddenly engulfed by Soda, who had jumped up to hug her.

"Soda, it's okay, I'm okay now." Tears started to form in her eyes. "What time is it?"

Soda let go of Daina and checked the clock on the wall. "It's 1 am. You've been unconscious now for two days."

"What? What's happened? Oh my—." Daina looked in shock at her stomach.

"Soda," she said. "Is my baby dead?"

"No, Miss Williams, your baby is not dead," said a voice in the doorway. The doctor was standing there, smiling. "Although I was starting to get worried. If you hadn't have woken up soon, it very well could have died."

"But…it's going to be all right then?" Daina asked. 

"Yes, dear, I expect your baby to be fine. Now, if Mr. Curtis could leave the room for a moment just so I could run some tests to make sure you are alright?"

Soda looked at Daina. "I don't want to leave you…"

"It's alright, Soda, it'll just be for a few minutes," Soda still looked worried, so she squeezed his hand and said, "I'm fine now, please don't worry about me."

Soda let go of Daina's hand and left the room. He went up to the nurses front desk.

"May I use your phone?" he asked the nurse seated behind the counter.

"Sure, dear." She handed him the phone.

Soda dialed his home phone number. It rang once, and then he heard a voice on the other line say, "Hello?"

"Hey, Darry." Soda said.

"Oh, it's you Soda. We all just got here maybe five minutes ago. We said bye to Dally then decided to stop in here and have some lunch."

"Listen, Daina woke up."

"What? When?"

"Just a few minutes ago. The doctor's running some tests right now to make sure she's alright. She seems okay to me, but you guys should come on over soon."

"Alright, we're leaving now. See you soon." Darry hung up the phone.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hey guys! Things are flowing pretty steady now aren't they? Well, now that I'm not piled with homework every night I have free time to work on this. Anyone who was or is in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program can sympathize with me here.

Number nine.

The doctor exited Daina's room and said it was alright for Soda to go back in.

"What'd he say?" Soda asked Daina.

"He said I seem to be alright, but he won't let me out of here for a few more days until I get my strength back."

Soda laughed. "I've never known you not to have strength, Dain, whether it's mental or physical."

"Well, now you've seen me at my worst…Soda, where is everyone?" she asked.

"Well, I just called Darry, they're on their way now, they were just kinda occupied with…something."

"What something?"

"Never mind, I'll explain it to you later, it's not very uplifting news so I'll save it till you can handle it. Anyways, Daina, I'm so darn glad you woke up."

Daina smiled at him.

"The whole time you were unconscious," Sodapop began, "I sat here for as long as I was allowed to, just praying that you'd wake up. I felt so, lonely. I missed you, Daina, and I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't woken up. I think I might have died."

"Don't be so dramatic, Soda." Daina joked.

Soda rolled his eyes. "Thanks for your understanding, Daina. I'm here pouring my heart out to you and you just joke about it."

"I'm just joking, Soda, you know I am. I really appreciate you, I can't believe you spent so much time with me while I was out of it, must have been really boring."

"You know what?" Soda asked. "I didn't even notice the time. I didn't notice anything; I was so worried about you and that baby of yours."

"Soda…" Daina began.

"Yeah?" 

"Thank you."

A commotion out in the hallway caught Daina's attention.

"Stop running, boys, this is a hospital!" Daina heard a female voice shout.

All of a sudden, four boys piled into the room.

"Daina!" Two-Bit shouted. He ran up to her and gave her a huge hug. "Man am I sure glad to see you awake!"

"Thanks, Two-Bit, I missed you too."

"Welcome back, Daina." Darry said. Ponyboy and Steve both said their greetings enthusiastically.

Daina looked around at them, and finally, something clicked in her brain.

"Guys," she said, "Where's Dallas?"

Everyone looked awkwardly at each other. None of them really knew what to say or how to say it. Finally, Soda spoke up.

"We, err…Just said goodbye to Dally today."

"What do you mean, 'goodbye'?"

Sodapop sighed. "Daina, you remember how you ended up in the hospital right?"

"Yeah," Daina said. "I was walking home and I got jumped by a gang of Soc's."

"Right. Well…When Dally found out, he got kinda upset, and he went after the Soc's. He found them too, and he roughed them up pretty badly."

"So? Dally's always beating people up."

"Yeah, well this time he did it pretty badly, to quite a few Socs. He went to court and everything, and well, that's why we said goodbye to him today. He got sentenced to five months in jail."

Daina gave him a strange look. "Are you joking?" she said, although she could tell he wasn't. She knew Soda; he wouldn't joke around at a time like this.

"Daina, I am so sorry, but, I don't know what to tell you. I can't give you a reason for Dally's actions; I can't tell you if he wanted to say anything to you about it, but I'm here if you need to talk."

"Is he allowed visitors?" Daina asked.

Darry spoke up. "No, Daina. Under the terms of his arrest he's not allowed having any visitors, since they're considering this a short term imprisonment."

"Short term? Five months? They must be complete idiots then." Daina said. She was very mad. "Well, I need to get out of this hospital. I have to get to Dally so I can personally kick his ass."

"Daina," Two-Bit said, "You can't right now. In case you forgot, you just came out of a semi-coma, and you're preggers. Sorry Dainy, but you ain't going nowhere for awhile."

"Thanks for the support, Two-Bit" Daina said sarcastically.

Realizing that Daina was quickly entering a bad mood, Darry said, "Well guys, we better head home. Now that Daina's awake, things can start getting back to normal and we can get back to our jobs. We'll be back in tomorrow to visit, Daina, see you later."

"Bye guys."

"Uh, Darry?" Soda said. "I'm gonna stay here with her for awhile, I'll just hitch a ride home later or something."

"Okay lil buddy, I'll see you later."

Two-Bit gave Daina one last hug and then left the room with the others. Soda got up and closed the door behind them.

"Listen, Daina," he said. "You have a right to be mad at Dally, he knew that you and that baby were dependant on him and you were planning on starting a family together, but don't get yourself worked up right now, save it till later when you're better."

"How can I, Soda? It's all I can think of. I can't believe him!"

Soda sighed. He should have known better, Daina likes to dwell on things.

"Daina, Dally probably regrets what he did, but there's no changing anything now. You can't cause yourself stress or else you might do harm to the baby. Just forget about Dally, you'll see him again in five months."

"I can't. I'm almost two months pregnant now, by the time Dally gets out, I'll be seven months. In a way, I don't really want him to be a part of my life, or the baby's. He's too unpredictable and he has no concern for how his actions affect the people around him. But, there's also that part of me that's saying it's not fair. He is the baby's father, and he has a right to be a part of its life. This child needs a father figure around, and I think I might need him too."

Silence ensued, then Soda said, "Daina, do you love Dally?"

Daina looked up at him, then down at her blanket. "I don't know, Soda, I just don't know."


	10. Chapter 10

_Number Ten!_

_Two days later, Daina was finally able to leave the hospital. Sodapop and Darry accompanied her and drove her back to their house. It seemed like a very long ride. Daina knew exactly what she was going to do when she got home. She was going to march right to the sheriff's office, explain her situation, and demand that she be allowed to see Dally._

_Once they arrived at the Curtis' house, Daina said to Darry, "Thanks for driving me Dar, but I gotta go do something, I'll see y'all later."_

"_Wait, where are you going so quickly?" Darry asked._

"_Never mind. Just something I gotta do."_

_Daina borrowed one of Soda's sweaters and left the house. On the way to the sheriff's office, Daina stopped at her house to tell her dad she was home. Inside, she found her father sleeping on the couch. _

"_Well I'll just come back later when it's more convenient for you," Daina said aloud, hoping to wake him, but he didn't move. She left the house, making sure to slam the door as she exited._

_It took Daina quite awhile to get to the sheriff's office, because it was on the other side of the tracks, aka Soc territory. She was slightly nervous walking through here, but thankfully she didn't meet any rude people on the way._

_Walking into the parking lot, Daina saw the sheriff just leaving the building._

"_Sheriff Robertson!" she shouted, and ran towards him._

_He smiled at her pleasantly and said, "How may I help you?"_

"_My name is Daina Hectors. I was just informed yesterday that a good friend of mine, Dallas Winston, started his prison sentence of five months yesterday. Do you know of who I'm talking about?" she asked._

"_I certainly do. And, if you didn't know, he isn't permitted to have visitors."_

"_Yeah, I know. But, the thing is…I was in the hospital unconscious for like three days when he was sentenced and stuff, so I never got to see him. I didn't even know he beat up those people, but I hear I'm the cause of it."_

"_Wait," the sheriff said. "You're the one who those teens originally assaulted?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Well, I'm sorry dear, yours is a difficult situation, but Mr. Winston isn't allowed visitors. You'll have to wait the five months."_

"_But…" Daina had to think quickly. She might as well tell him everything, but, she thought, it doesn't hurt to bend the truth a little bit. "Mr. Robertson, please. I'm two months pregnant with Dallas' child. He doesn't know it yet, and I really feel I need to tell him, just to give him hope and to make sure he doesn't do anything else stupid when he gets released."_

_The sheriff looked uneasy. "I don't know…It's a sin that you're pregnant and the father doesn't know…You know what? Fine. I'll bend the laws just this once, but you better be mighty grateful."_

_Daina grinned. "Thank you so much, Mr. Robertson!"_

"_You're welcome, dear. Listen, I'm heading over there now to check on things, I'll give you a drive over."_

"_What the hell were you thinking?!" Daina shouted at Dally. They were seated in the cafeteria of the prison. Daina was positive that her shouting could be heard at the other end of the prison, but she didn't care._

"_Listen, babe-."_

"_Don't call me that! How the hell could you go and land yourself in jail when you know I'm carrying your child?"_

"_I was just mad, I wanted to get revenge for you."_

"_Revenge? That's pathetic. You didn't even stop to ask me first if I wanted revenge?" Daina asked._

"_I didn't think about that. But you were unconscious anyway."_

"_You didn't know that. I was told that you didn't find out I was in the hospital unconscious until after you were arrested."_

"_That don't even matter, they hurt you and could have hurt the baby. They got what was coming to 'em."_

"_Yeah, and what did you get for your troubles? A five month prison sentence. You're ridiculous."_

"_C'mon Daina, calm down. You know I love you."_

_Daina looked disgusted. "No you don't, and you're just saying that because of the baby. Well listen to this. I'm going to raise this baby on my own, whether you like it or not. Once you get out of prison, I don't want you near me. Understand?"_

"_What?" Dally said shocked. "You can't do that!"_

"_I can and I will. Dallas Winston, I used to consider you one of my best friends. I am disgusted with you, and no longer do I consider you anything to me, not a friend, not anything."_

_Tears were forming in Daina's eyes, but she blinked them back and stood up. "Goodbye, Dallas." And with that, she walked past Dally, who was dumbfounded, and out the doors._


	11. Chapter 11

Numero 11-o.

"You what!" Soda asked.

"I told you," Daina said. "I don't want Dally involved in my life anymore, even when he gets out of jail."

"Don't you think that's a bit harsh?" Soda asked.

"No. He deserves it. But, can you not tell anyone else about this? I wanna keep it a secret."

"Alright…" Soda said. 

Daina didn't want any of the other guys to know because she didn't want this to split up the gang. Once Dally got back out of jail, he would undoubtedly continue spending time with everyone, and Daina didn't want to ruin that. If just she, Soda, and Dally knew what had actually went on, she could pretend like nothing happened and just skillfully ignore Dally. If everyone knew, they'd always be expecting some sort of tenseness and hatred between her and Dally.

She told Soda because she trusted him immensely, and besides, she felt like she needed to get this off her chest and tell someone. At least Soda wouldn't judge her, and just accept her actions. Daina just wanted to get on with her life. She wanted to have the baby, forget about Dally, and maybe find a new guy. She wasn't looking for anyone in particular at the moment, but she couldn't raise the baby on her own.

"Soda," she said. "I need to go home. My dad still doesn't know I'm out of the hospital, I think I should go by and tell him."

"Alright, I'll come with you."

"I also gotta stop by the store and see about when I start work again. I have to start saving up some money to get a place of my own or something, once I have the baby, I don't think my dad will enjoy having a kid in the house, screaming and crying all the time."

"Why don't you just live with us?" Soda asked.

"Aw, I couldn't do that. I'd crowd you guys too much, what with myself and a baby, but don't worry, I'll find somewhere."

As Daina and Soda were walking up the street, they saw a police car parked in front of Daina's house.

Soda looked at Daina. "Why's there a police at your house?"

"I don't know…Jeez, I hope nothing happened."

When they entered the front yard, a policeman that was sitting on the front step stood up and walked toward them.

"Are you the daughter of Mr. Edward Hectors?" he asked Daina.

"Yeah, why? What's going on?"

"Well ma'am, your father is currently in a pretty tight situation. According to witnesses, he got quite intoxicated, went to the liquor store and robbed it, then took off. We haven't found him yet."

"What?" Daina was shocked. First Dally, now her father? She grabbed Soda's arm for support.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to be stationed outside of your house, in case he comes back here. If you have any contact with him, I'd like you to report it to police immediately, okay?"

"Um, yeah…" Daina walked past the officer and walked into her house. Soda followed, and closed the door behind him.

"Daina, why don't you sit down?" Soda suggested.

"What the hell? Why does it seem like everyone in my life are turning into such disappointments?" she asked. 

"Not everyone, Dain, just a few people. Don't worry; your dad will come back. And if he doesn't, you've still got the guys here for you!"

"Thanks, Soda. He never was much of a father anyways. When he wasn't drunk, he was sleeping. When he wasn't drunk or sleeping, he would be hollering at me. In a way, I hope he doesn't come back. But what am I going to do? What about the house? I don't even know what our financial situation is! I don't know if the house is paid off or what."

"There's always the option of living with us." Soda said hopefully.

"I told you, I couldn't do that, even if I were desperate. I'm just gonna have to wait and see if my father comes back. If not, well…I'll have to ask the police to get in touch with whoever takes care of our money issues."

Daina and Soda sat and waited, and waited. Her father never came back, and the policeman still waited outside her house. Darkness came, and the policeman knocked at her door.

" 'Scuse me ma'am, but there seems to be no sign of your father. I just got word back from the chief, and he's sending a different guy out to be stationed here all night. Just thought I'd let you know." He walked out of his house, got in his car, and left.

"Daina, listen, you're not arguing with me now. You are not staying here by yourself tonight, I don't care what you say. C'mon home with me, you can sleep in my bed if you want, I'll take the couch."

Daina had no objections to this, because she definitely didn't feel comfortable staying here by herself, with some policeman stationed outside her house and her dad out somewhere, drunk. 

"Well, if that's alright with you." She said.

"Of course it's alright! Come on, let's go."

Lying in Soda's bed a few hours later, Daina was replaying in her mind everything that had happened the past week. The trouble that went on with Dally, and now her father. What if he didn't ever come home? She'd have to get rid of the house; she couldn't afford to pay the bills. Oh, if only Dally wasn't in jail and she didn't hate him. With his pay from the welding shop and her measly income from the store, they could manage to keep the house together. Oh, what was she thinking severing ties with Dally? He could still be so useful to her, once he got out of jail. Daina scolded herself for not thinking about the consequences of her actions.

But wait…Dally was only going to be in jail for five months. And she was carrying his baby. She could use that to her advantage. When he got out, she could say she wasn't thinking clearly and that she loved him and wanted to be with him. Of course, she didn't actually love him, but she needed a house, and you can't have a house without a steady income. Her pay could barely afford to keep food on the table. Yes, she thought, I'll just reconcile with him when he gets out. Things could work out…

Meanwhile, in the Curtis' living room, Sodapop was lying wide awake on the couch, confused. Why did he push Daina so much to stay at his house? Because she's my best friend, he told himself over and over. Just my best friend, nothing else. But yet, he couldn't ignore the quickened beating of his heart when he thought about her, how it pleased him so that she was sleeping in his bed at that very moment…Soda suddenly sat up quickly. Oh my god, he thought, am I falling in love with Daina?


End file.
